


It's not easy being green

by Vakaria



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-18 09:09:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3564122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vakaria/pseuds/Vakaria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce accidentally dyes his hair green.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's not easy being green

Bruce stares at himself in the mirror once again. This is a disaster. A catastrophe. Sure, he probably shouldn't have put his newest experiment in a shampoo bottle, but it had been the only thing he had at hand, and he probably shouldn't have left it anywhere his mother would find it. And now he knows it doubles as hair dye. All remorse doesn't change the fact, that his hair is now green.

It doesn't just have a greenish tinge to it. It's not greenish-brown. It's a bright nearly glowing green.

Choking down a sob he runs a hand through his hair again. He can't go to school like that tomorrow. Ross and his friends would make his life more hell than normal.  It's already bad enough, when he's just himself, but with a green target basically painted on his head, it's gonna be a nightmare.

“Bruce? You've been in there for half an hour now, is everything okay?” His mother sounds worried.

He looks at his reflection again, then sighs and opens the door. Maybe she will know what do do.

His mother takes one look at him and nearly drops the coffee cup in her hands. “Oh dear. How did that happen?” She takes one strand between her fingers.

“One of my experiments. I didn't mean to put it in my hair though.” Another sob tries to force its way up his throat. “Mom, I can't... I can't go to school with my hair like this. What do I do?”

She gently pushes him towards one of the kitchen chairs. “Let me take a look at this. I guess it doesn't wash out, right?”

He silently shakes his head. That had been the first thing he tried.

She looks at the clock. “Okay, it's too late to get some dye this evening, but you just have to stick it out tomorrow and when you're home from school we'll get some and we'll try to fix this, does that sound okay?”

Bruce bites his lip and nods. One day he can do. Maybe. Hopefully.

She ruffles his hair. “It isn't that bad, Bruce. It gives you something... rakish...” She smiles at him and he can't help but mirror it.

“You're just saying this to make me feel better.”

Holding out her hand she motions towards the stairs. “Come on, let's find you a nice hat.”

*************  
The next morning he's in school half an hour earlier than usual, hoping to avoid most people. His hair is completely hidden under an oversized beanie he found somewhere deep in his closet and he checked numerous times to be sure nothing sticks out from under it.

He's nearly made it into the school, head turnt down, eyes on the floor, not looking at anyone, when someone steps into his way. Because it just would've been too easy.  
“Banner, what's it with the ridiculous hat?”

Bruce keeps his head down and tries to step around Ross. The older boy steps in his way. “Not so fast, I'm talking to you.”

Trying to avoid a confrontation, Bruce steps back, still not looking at Ross.  
“It's nothing.”

Ross laughs. It's an ugly laugh. The one that means Bruce is about to get some bruises added to his ever growing collection. “Let's see what you're trying to hide under there Banner.” He shoves Bruce who fails to maintain balance and instead stumbles backwards over his own feet. Wincing when he hits the ground, he get to his feet again, but one of Ross' buddies just pushes him back down.

That’s when a pair of dirty purple converse appears at the edge of Bruce’s vision he immediately recognizes. He looks up to see Clint grin at him.

“Hey Bruce.”

Taking Clint’s offered hand, he pulls himself up and takes a glance at Ross, who doesn’t look amused at the interruption. “Mind your own business, Barton.”

Clint just crosses his arms, still grinning. “Nah, don’t think I will. But I suggest you fuck off and leave us alone.”

For a moment Bruce thinks an all-out brawl will break out, but Ross glares at Clint for a few seconds before grumbling “Fine. But this isn’t over.”, and stomps away, shoving Clint with his shoulder while walking past him.

Looking him over Clint asks “You okay?”

Bruce frantically tucks any strands of hair that slipped out of his hat back under the beanie and nods.

Clint puts an arm around his shoulders and pulls him towards the school doors, while Bruce tries to concentrate on functioning like an actual human being and not on the arm around his shoulders. Or the person the arm belongs to.

While Clint talks about his dog, Bruce tries to make sense of the whole situation. It’s not like him and Clint are friends. Clint is Natasha’s best friend, who in turn is friends with Pepper who is Tony’s girlfriend and Bruce is basically the only one who understands half of what Tony says, when he starts talking about science. They hang around in the same group of friends, but they don’t talk to each other in particular very often.

Which Bruce didn’t really mind, seeing that he’s already not very good with people in general. But when they are certain attractive archers with an aversion against sleeves who are really dorky and have a heart of gold and a one-eyed dog, it’s worse.

His embarrassing crush aside though, he can’t find any reason why Clint would step in. After all, Ross could have just as well have punched him in the face. But before Bruce can actually ask him, Tony spots them.

“Let me save you, Bruce. How long has he been rambling about that dog?”

Bruce mumbles a “I don’t mind.” at the same time Clint jokingly flips Tony off and says “Fuck you, Stark. Lucky is awesome.” He then claps Bruce on the back before walking over towards Natasha, leaving him with Tony.

Who of course immediately picks up on the hat and tries to snatch it off his head, but luckily Bruce manages to distract him with a question about that AI Tony has been working on. Because if Tony sees his hair, he will be loud and obnoxious. And if Tony knows everyone will know.

*************

Everything actually works out. Ross doesn’t bother him for the rest of the day, Tony is distracted by about twelve different things ranging from dinner with Pepper’s parents to microbiology, and Clint actually talks to him a bit during lunch break and not only does Bruce manage not to make a complete idiot out of himself, they also discover they share a part of their way home and Clint promises to wait for him after the last period.

Bruce is happy about this development, even if Clint is probably just doing this to keep this mornings event with Ross from repeating and it will most likely stop after a few days.

It all works out. Which is why he should have probably expected this, because he doesn’t have that sort of luck.

They’re walking home, side by side, Bruce talking animatedly about one of his projects, and he doesn’t even know when he became comfortable enough around Clint to do so and that should really bother him, and he’s too busy gesturing to notice the loose piece of pavement right in front of his feet. He stumbles and goes flying towards the ground for the second time today. Clint manages to catch his arm, before he faceplants into the stones, but his hat slips off his head.

Clint doesn’t drop him, but it’s a close thing. Instead he stares at Bruce, his mouth wide open.

“Your hair, it’s…”

Bruce groans miserably and gathers his beanie up from the floor. “I know, believe me, I know.”

“... GREEN!”

Pulling the hat back on and tucking stray strands of hair back under it he sighs. “It looks horrible, I know.” Of course he had to ruin his run of nobody finding out because of his clumsiness. And of course the one person to see his hair in this particular shade of green had to be Clint.

Avoiding eye contact he awkwardly waves. “I’ll just.. you know… walk the rest of the way on my own, see you.” and takes off, nearly at a running pace.

But instead of letting him wallow in his embarrassment Clint falls in step beside him.

“Nah, it isn’t that bad. Just unexpected. Didn’t peg you for the type, you know.” He smiles at Bruce lopsidedly.

Shrugging, Bruce answers. “It was an accident, I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Come on, show me again.” The other boy pokes him in the ribs. “I swear I won’t laugh. I swear on… I swear on my dog. Please. Don’t make me bring out the puppy eyes.”

Bruce mumbles “You’re fucking with me.” but pulls the beanie off his head.

“Gives you a bit of a punk vibe, you know. It’s really not bad.” He shrugs. “Actually I kinda like it. Green looks good on you.”

He feels his cheeks heating up, but if he turns visibly red, Clint doesn’t say anything about it. Bruce doesn’t put the hat back on. When they part ways a few streets later, Clint ruffles his hair before taking off.

The rest of the day, Bruce keeps thinking back to a honest smile and “Green looks good on you.”. When his mother helps him with the brown hair-dye in the evening, he asks her to leave a few strands in the front green.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to grawthala who betaed this and who gave me the idea to all this, when she dyed her hair green.  
> Maybe there'll be another part to this, where they actually get together, for now this is all I've got though.  
> If you want, visit my tumblr ( inquisitorcadash.tumblr.com )


End file.
